


Your Lie In April (A spring without you is coming)

by fairytaelle



Category: IZONE (Band), 四月は君の嘘 | Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso | Your lie in April
Genre: 2kim, Annyeongz, F/F, Jinjoo, Past Abuse, Piano, Slow Burn, Trauma, heavily based on your lie in april, main characters are yujin minju chaewon and wonyoung, other characters will appear as the story progresses, platonic, updates faster on twitter (same handle), violin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 18:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19382086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairytaelle/pseuds/fairytaelle
Summary: A melody adorned the silence of the night. Filled with sorrow, yet so calm and soft. As if yearning for someone to colour the world with the colours of the sky, the green of trees and budding flowers. And yet it all stayed still - a spill of gray clouds overshadowing the sky, not even a single star in sight. It all appeared much like a music sheet. Black and white.You could hear the sound of flickering lights and the light fluttering of eyelashes besides the melody dancing around the light breeze of spring. As if accompanying the notes, they danced and spinned around in beat together with the melody.The wind picked up its pace, the branches of spring-awoken trees gently knocking on the tightly shut window. As if urged, once calm melody turned to one seeking the warmth of other; full of distress and sorrow.One of the lights stopped to a halt. As if mourning it, the melody stopped too. A pair of eyes fluttered open. The hands that moved just a second ago fell off the piano."I can't hear it... no matter what I play."





	1. CHAPTER I

It was a blazing hot spring day. A day so hot and humid, even the toughest of all would not be able to maintain their composture. Yujin was not fond of such days, especially when she had to exercise outside during P.E., a subject she both adored and despised. While her classmates were sweating out their whole bodies on the track field outside, Yujin made her way to the music room. She thanked her charms for being able to convince the teacher she felt ill.

The music room was not a room of much astonishment; rather, it may have been the blandest one of all. The walls were painted various shades of gray, the floor was wooden and made a sound when stepped on, little to no musical equipment on sight, either hidden in drawers or locked away in another room; the only thing worth mentioning was the piano that stood lone in the middle of this bland space of nothing-ness.

A few frames of student accomplishments hung on the dull walls, but none caught Yujin's attention. She sighed and made her way to the piano, stopping near the drawers once to get out her mp3 player she'd hidden away. Such things were not allowed at school, but Yujin had managed to sneak one in to work on little jobs during her free time.

Yujin silently plopped down onto the piano seat. She rested her head on the fall of the piano, as if tired due to her little lie and journey. Then, Yujin glanced to her left, out the windows. The view was nothing new - she had seen the sight thousands of times before. The sight was that of the school's backyard and track, the place where her classmates were currently exercising at. Yujin risked her all to be seen at the music room instead of at the nurse's, considering how close by she was. But as long as she restricted her movement, noone would even notice her there.

When Yujin thought herself to be ready, she opened the fall of the piano. Behind it stood the heart of it all, the keys the brown-haired girl adored so. She silently took it all in; as if touching it for the first time once more, Yujin brushed the top of the keys with her fingertips. It may have been a rather small thing to smile for, but it made Yujin crack a little grin. She touched one of the keys gently. The piano responded by letting out a single sound, small and warm. Awoken by the playing piano, a little bubble of light floated up. Yujin then put another hand on the keyboard and started playing a melody she knows from heart; a melody she's known for as long as she remembers self. As if Yujin had casted a magic spell, the bubbles of light started floating up together with the delightful sound of the playing piano. They enveloped the girl with brown locks as if embracing her for giving the piano life once more and then floated up, disappearing into the air.

It was a simple melody. Yet it made Yujin happy. It felt as if someone was embracing her, as if the scent of the room had changed to the summery smell of meadows and sunflowers. It was what Yujin yearned for; what made her pick up playing the piano. 

After Yujin played the last note, one more bubble of light floated up. Only then had Yujin noticed she'd closed her eyes. Little by little, her eyelashes fluttering, she opened her brown eyes. Yujin was content - she had not felt this nice after playing the piano in a while, be it a short and easy piece or not. But whenever Yujin tried to put her all in a performance, she was left with nothing. Neither a sound nor a feeling inside. It felt empty. And it was frightening - she could hear herself playing, hitting the notes with all she could, with all of her strength, yet all she could hear was much like playing the piano at the bottom of the ocean. The more Yujin concentrated during her performances, the more she got consumed by them. The sounds she played faded away from her reach, tangling up like flowers seized by the spring wind and vanished.

After a little pause, Yujin reached for her mp3 player. She had much to transcribe this day, and she had already wasted enough time. Both earbuds in, she played "La Vie en Rose", a song popular on the radio these days. She had been asked to transcribe this piece by one of her reoccuring clients. Completely blocked from outside noise, she immersed herself in work. 

It's a mistake Yujin had done way too many times, too many to even count on her fingers. Blocked from outside sound and completely immersed in her work while her friend Wonyoung was outside, practicing softball after much begging the teacher to let her do so. Wonyoung may appear slim and lean, but her strength was more than what could be seen. One stronger swing, and the ball made its way towards the music room, through the window onto Yujin's head. It was strong enough to knock the clueless Yujin out. Her body fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Wonyoung freaked out when she saw her ball hit the window once more. She quickly looked around just in case the teacher saw this spectacle of hers. When she confirmed that the teacher was nowhere to be seen, Wonyoung swiftly made her way to the music room. To dispose of the evidence, as she's done each time. Her budget was tight this month, so she knew she had no money to spare for the repairs again. 

Had it not been the first time - Wonyoung would have been more than surprised at how she managed to hit Yujin's head from such a distance. The only thing she'd been surprised at that moment was the amount of times this scene had repeated itself. Wonyoung then fell to her knees, and tried her best to help Yujin up. The latter had been ripped of her conscious - she showed no signs of waking up. So Wonyoung quickly took her ball and went to fetch some water.

By the time she was back, Yujin had awoken. She was annoyed at the younger, more than Wonyoung could fathom. After all, it hadn't been the first time this had happened. Wonyoung playfully scratched her cheek.

"Look, I'm sorry Yujin-" Wonyoung was cut off before she could finish her sentence.

"I think I've heard enough of you saying sorry about the same thing to last me centuries." Yujin sighed and snickered. "Don't tell anyone you saw me here and I won't say you were the one who threw the ball. Deal?"

"That will save my ass, really." Wonyoung let out a little chuckle and pet Yujin's hair. "How is it going? Was it worth sneaking out P.E. for?"

Yujin sighed at that. She looked outside. The air outside looked more than just humid - Yujin could swear she saw the heatwaves herself at this point.

"Anything's better than staying outside in this weather. I'd even go to math if I were asked to choose between P.E. outside or math." Yujin spat out, highlighting the word math more than necessary.

Wonyoung laughed at that, patting her friend on the shoulder. She's known of the other's dislike of hot weather since they were young. It made Wonyoung think that even if years have went by, neither of them changed. Then Wonyoung remembered something she had been meaning to say, her eyes filling with excitement.

"Hey, I've met this girl recently. She asked me to introduce her to Chaewon. Seems she's been adoring the girl for some time now. And so I wouldn't be alone, she told me to bring someone along too. Do you want to come with us?"

Yujin was about to decline the offer, since she's not one to meet new people. But the glistening in Wonyoung's eyes was hard to resist, so she lowered her head as if defeated.

"If you don't mind bringing me along."

"That's the spirit! You've been much of a stranger for the past two years, have you even gone out without me pestering to do so?" Wonyoung smiled bitterly.

It was a delicate thing to ask Yujin, but it slipped from Wonyoung's mouth before she could stop herself. It made Wonyoung remember the times Yujin, Wonyoung and Chaewon were spending time together after pestering Yujin's mother to let her out for some fun. The brown-haired girl was always in her room, practicing the piano with her mother behind her, as if confined. It was the only time Yujin had opened up about her time back home; how her mother wouldn't let her rest even if she was tired, how she had to repeat the same parts, bridges of a piece again and again, how everytime she made a reoccuring mistake, she was hit in hopes of playing the same thing better. All that just for Yujin to replace her mother as a world class pianist.

Just before Yujin could open her mouth to reply, Wonyoung quickly threw her hands up and started moving them around as if to gesture a little 'no, it's okay, don't mind, sorry'.

"No need to answer that, it just flew straight out of my mouth. So about that rendezvous, are you still up for it?"

"Yes, don't worry." Yujin smiled a little at her friend's overly dramatic gesturing and generosity. She was glad to have such a friend.

"Okay, it's a deal! I'm gonna write you the details on KAKAOTALK and that said, I gotta blast! Bye!" Wonyoung said and was out of the room as fast as she had appeared.

 

⋆

Just as Yujin had promised, she was at the designated place on time. It was a beautiful park surrounded by many blooming flowers and cherry blossoms. Yujin thought this was truly the gift of nature - the spring in her home country was more than just breathtaking. It would be hard to describe it in words, but if she were to do so, it would be similar to the feeling one gets while listening to an artist having fun while performing a piece. 

"They're late..." Yujin muttered to noone in particular. She had checked the message from Wonyoung a few times now, looking for any details she might have missed or whether she'd come to the wrong place.

While she was squirming in her place, a beautiful melody had started dancing around in the air. One that reminded Yujin of her childhood and the little bundle of joy in the music room a few days ago. Tempted by the melody, as if a child enamoured by pied piper, Yujin followed the melody.

Yujin knew this feeling. This familiar scent of meadows and sunflowers. This summery feel she could not get enough of. It was more than enough to take Yujin's heart captive and hold it tightly in the air. And she was willing to let that happen if she were to feel the same from now on.

As the melody drew nearer, Yujin fastened her pace. She yearned to see who was giving her so much nostalgia. To thank the person or just stand there idly, listening to their heartfelt performance.

The spring wind picked up its pace together with Yujin. It shook the cherry blossom branches besides Yujin, clouding her vision with hundreds of cherry blossom petals, painted with various shades of pink and pastel red. Just as they flew to the other side, they revealed the person that had captured Yujin's heartstrings so.

The girl had been on top of a rock, a melodica in her hands. She was playing the familiar tune of Yujin's childhood, facing a tree with a nest housing two little birds in it. There were a few cherry blossoms floating around, as if dancing on the tune of the melody. Yujin's eyes glistened, her lips parted a little. 

The girl stopped playing. She noticed the unfamiliar presence near her and turned around to face Yujin. When she saw her agape mouth and glistening eyes, the girl that had played the melodica so gently just a little while ago smiled as gently and warmly as the melody that passed with the whim of air.

"Yujin! Minju! So sorry to keep you waiting! I and Chaewon took the wrong subway at first, hope you didn't wait long." Wonyoung took Yujin's attention away from Minju with her sudden yell. The purple-haired girl quickly stumbled to the middle of Minju and Yujin together with Chaewon and rested her hands on her thighs in hopes to regain her posture. She then put her right hand to her head in a sorry, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, symbolizing her usual 'teehee~' behaviour.

Wonyoung then looked around, noticing that she's in the middle of Minju and Yujin.

"I see you two met eachother earlier, huh?"

"No, I just-" Yujin was about to reply but Wonyoung cut her off.

"Well, whatever. Minju, here's Chaewon! Brought her here just for you!" Wonyoung chuckled and pushed Chaewon forward, the latter friendly punching Wonyoung on her arm for such rash behaviour.

Yujin glanced at Chaewon and the girl with the melodica, who she had got to know was Minju. The girl looked ecstatic to have met Chaewon, she couldn't stand straight. Minju's face was practically shining. Chaewon looked to be having fun too. Yujin smiled at the sight a little.

Wonyoung pouted when she saw Yujin eyeing the couple a little farther away from the place they stood together. The girl with purple locks lightly grabbed the hem of Yujin's shirt and pulled it.

"I'm sure I told you, but we're only here to accompany. The main stars of this date are Chaewon and Minju." Wonyoung poked her tongue on the inside of her cheek. Then gently touched the tip of Yujin's nose with her fingertip. "You're Friend A, while I'm Friend B. So let's stick close together!"

Yujin chuckled a little at the affection of the younger and nodded. Minju noticed the two and made her way to them. When she was pretty close by, Minju smiled sheepishly and extended her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Minju! Hope we get along well, Friend A!"

Yujin's cheeks flared with persistent redness. She was hesitant to extand her hand at first, but she didn't want to keep the girl standing there aimlessly, her hand out towards Yujin. So without much trouble, Yujin took the other's fragile hand into hers and gently shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Minju." The corners of Yujin's mouth twitched slightly. "Oh, but do call me Yuji-"

Before Yujin could finish the sentence, Minju turned around and waddled to Chaewon, hugging her by the shoulders. 

"How about we go out for some ice cream?" Minju proposed, nudging Chaewon on the shoulder slightly and winking towards the couple of Wonyoung and Yujin, the self-proclaimed Friend A & B.

Wonyoung nodded enthusiastically. She loved ice cream dearly - much more on a day as devastatingly hot as today. It was one of the easy ways to escape the clutches of warmth, be it just for a minute or two. 

Chaewon nudged Minju's shoulder back. She was not one to decline an offer, much more a delicious one like this. And to go out together with Wonyoung and Yujin after such a long while was something she had longed long for, as the three have been much distant from each other.

Then, everyone looked at Yujin. She had been the only one who hadn't given her answer yet. Yujin didn't think of it as important then - after all, it was more than decided by major vote. But the other three didn't want to make her feel left out and were more than ready to hear her answer and respect it if it wasn't something she'd wanted to do. It had been more than nerve-racking for so many pair of eyes to be laid upon her. It was more than uncomfortable for her at that moment; after all, she was nothing more than just Friend A. The girl with brown locks just sighed and scratched the back of her head.

"Sure, let's go. But there aren't any ice cream parlors around-" 

"Let's just go for convenience store ice cream!" Chaewon said as if reading Yujin's mind. "There's one who has such a big assortiment of ice cream near here, you'll be shocked. I mean, I definetely was when I saw it. Haven't even tried all the flavours!" 

Wonyoung's face lighted up. Her eyes turned to stars and it seemed that if you looked closer, you could see her mouth watering. Not wasting any time, she quickly pushed Chaewon and Minju together and took Yujin's hand, quickly strutting to the front, tugging the latter with her.

"Let's hurry, you three! Chaewon, lead the way.  
We must not waste time."

 

⋆

They didn't take much to reach the convenience store. It wasn't much different from such other stores, but it was bigger and wider. The walls were the colour of the sun, a pleasing colour to the eye. The floor was of wooden tiles that looked more like wood than ceramic. Much like a trap - if Yujin were to say so. But what piqued the girls' interest was none other than the few refrigerators full of different ice cream. Chocolate ice cream, strawberry ice cream and vanilla ice cream paled in insignificance compared to the ones before the four girls.

With so much to choose from, the only thought in Yujin's head was that it might have been easier to go to a place with no such assortiment. Where there were the three same flavours everywhere. Just vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. No "schweddy balls", "tillamook mudslide" or the weirdly interesting flavour of "everything but the kitchen sink". Now it was just a big whole mess for Yujin - her head was spinning while looking at the intricate, detailed descriptions of ice cream and its prices.

Chaewon, Minju and Wonyoung were done with choosing the flavour in no time. Since there was much to choose from and much to taste, they've decided to start with whatever they "fished out" first. The only one still standing near the refrigeration by herself was Yujin. The other three saw the struggle Yujin had been going through and giggled. It was amusing, to say the least.

The one that came to Yujin's rescue was Minju. She quickly took a little tube of ice cream out and plopped it into the girl's with brown locks hands. Yujin's head lowered in defeat. She muttered a silent thank you and headed with the latter to the shop attendant.

"Well that was a journey!" Minju said as soon as they've left the convenience store. "I wonder what flavour I should get next time?~"

The day had been half done when they walked out of the store. The blazing hot sun showed no signs of slowing down, looking down upon people from up above as if it were a mortal enemy ready to take everyone down with this devastating heat. And it had been just the start of April. The ice cream the girls have bought managed to cool them for a little bit before they succumbed to the heat once more. Although it was weird for it to be so warm this soon into spring, it had its advantages as well. The flowers that usually blossomed late into spring started budding much earlier. The streets were nourished with flowers, the parks full of beautiful petals floating around. It was a gorgeous sight and it made Yujin lose herself in it.

"Hey..what time is it?" Minju asked, stopping in her tracks. Her previous cheerful expression had changed to one resembling that of confusion. The others noticed Minju's quick change of expression. It was unexpected.

"It's half past 12 P.M., is there anything wrong?" Chaewon replied after taking a quick look at her wristwatch.

Minju turned around at the speed of light. Her hair floated in the wind, carrying the scent of the red-haired girl's shampoo. The sweet fragrance enveloped the air around them, as if signaling everyone to stop and look at the sudden movement. 

"I'm soo sorry!" Minju said, glancing back at the three girls. Her hands were clasped hard together in a prayer next to her mouth as if asking for forgiveness. "I totally thought we'd be done before I needed to perform. I feel bad leaving you on "ice" like that."

Yujin's ears perked up at the mention of perform. Her eyes started glistening with curiosity, and her whole body turned to face the girl with red locks.

"Perform? Do you play?" Yujin asked for the first time that day, no nudging from the others needed.

Taking in the latter's eyes glistening with immense curiosity and excitement, Minju clasped her hands once more. Her face became brighter and seemed to shine more than the brightest star; she smiled so sheepishly that Yujin couldn't find even one difference between her and a child who had just received candy. Such a sight tugged at Yujin's heartstrings.

"I am a violinist!" Minju exclaimed, her hands extending a bag towards Yujin that she had not noticed before. "Ah, that said!" The girl with red locks spun around in her place. She stopped in front of Chaewon, Wonyoung and Yujin and leaned towards them, extending her lower body to the other side. "Would you like to come watch me play? It's nothing more than just a simple performance at the contest, but it would mean a lot to me if I had someone in the hall cheering for me. It would be very reassuring."

"Is that even a question?" Wonyoung's mouth went agape. "Of course we'll come with you!" She quickly pouted and took Yujin's hand in hers, nudging Yujin and Chaewon to take Minju's. 

Minju had been overtaken by emotion. She quickly looked at the three girls around her and teared up. She was not one to receive such big support and felt undeserving. She then bowed her head a little as a thanks.

"You all... I'm so thankful." The red-haired girl took Chaewon's and Yujin's hands into hers. "And I'm sorry to break this special moment you have created for me, but I'm more than guaranteed to be late for my performance if we don't hurry."

⋆

It didn't take much time for the girls to reach the auditorium. It had been just a few minutes before the closing of entry time when they bursted in through the door, gathering unwanted attention their way. Wonyoung and Chaewon were pushing Minju with their whole bodies to the entry attendance counter right on the last minute, and thankfully to that, Minju made it. Although it had garnered some strange looks their way, it was more than worth it to be able to hear their new friend's performance.

Right after Minju entered the competition, she parted ways with the three. She told them to go to the concert hall as soon as the contest started, just in case they were not familiar to this sort of thing. Wasting no time, Chaewon, Yujin and Wonyoung made their way to the concert hall.

Getting lost due to Wonyoung deciding to show off her memory skills and Yujin not paying attention to Wonyoung's stupid behaviour as always was not part of the plan. It was merely a fluke on their part; a boat Wonyoung "accidentally" poked a hole in to. But it was nothing new to Chaewon and Yujin, the latter's childhood friends. They both giggled at the youngest's embarrassing situation the whole way to the end and the start of the auditorium. Tired of walking around aimlessly and losing stamina on a thing like this, Yujin asked a staff for the way.

After quite a lot of time, the three girls finally made their way into the concert hall. It was hard to miss, due to the big sign right next to the entrance. The concert hall wasn't as full as they thought it would've been. Rather, it was very empty. A few seats were occupied here and there, most of the people sitting very far apart. Most likely to take in the most out of the performances. It didn't phase Yujin. It's what happened most of the times during the first stages of the contest. But it was clearly surprising to Chaewon and Wonyoung. They kept on looking around and whispering together, a little shocked.

But what Yujin really didn't like was the increase of whispering when they entered the hall. As always, everyone turned their heads around to look at the new people inside the concert hall. Everyone paid no mind until someone whispered a heavier "is that Ahn Yujin? The young pianist prodigy?" that caused others to take a look once more, causing the brown-haired girl to stop in her tracks for a little while.

Wonyoung and Chaewon immediately noticed Yujin's discomfort. They lightly grabbed her by the shoulders and silently let her down to the middle of the seating section, sitting down to get the best view of the upcoming performances.

The first to perform was a boy with pink locks. His unusual hairstyle immediately made him stand out, everyone's interest was piqued. The audience couldn't keep their eyes off him - after all, such things were not deemed appropriate for a contest of this range.

The sudden attention didn't do the boy good. He was overwhelmed and seemed more anxious than when he stepped on stage. Sure, being first means doing your best to start a contest with a blast so you wouldn't be forgotten, but that is exactly why the first person's burdened with the most expectation.

The boy with pink locks succumbed to his fear of failing. He started off well, but suddenly started stumbling over his notes, playing off beat. The accompanist was trying to match his pace, but it did not help him. A few minutes later, after a lot of struggling, he finally finished, bowed and exited the stage. His body language showed that the boy with pink locks was extremely disappointed with his performance. Yujin silently nodded at him in acknowledgement, although pretty sure he couldn't see it.

After that came many other performances, all of which seemed to bore Wonyoung and Chaewon. They were struggling to find a comfortable place on their dull, uncomfortable seats. 

During some of the performances which Yujin had not deemed interesting, she looked around the concert hall. It had not changed much - the same dull and brown ceiling loomed upon the girl with brown locks, the walls were the colour of sunflower petals and the floor was wooden and as brown as the chocolate ice cream Yujin had pondered over at the ice cream parlor a few days ago. Although she wasn't planning of coming here any soon, it all felt so nostalgic. And she was overwhelmed by the feelings it brought out of her, the feelings she felt when she touched this concert hall's grand piano for the first time, the feelings she felt when her mom hugged the little figure of hers after she won her very first contest. It made her a little teary-eyed, a complete contrast to the set piece being played by the contestants before her.

"Hey," Chaewon turned to Yujin with a pout on her face. "why are they playing the same piece over and over again? It's starting to hurt my earbuds. And when is Minju going to perform?"

Yujin quickly looked around. People started piercing their bodies with glances, some furious for "interrupting" the current performance, some pleading to stop speaking so they could listen.

"It's the set piece, Chaewon. They all have to play "Kreutzer" to pass on to the other stage." Yujin answered and quickly turned to the glances and put her hands in a 'sorry' motion.

"Ohh, I see." Chaewon said and pouted once more. "But that's sooo boring!"

"That's why there aren't many people in the audience. There are a lot of contestants and they all play the same piece. It does get tiring, especially for people that aren't used to classical music. Guess we can say the people that have gathered are the strongest ones." Yujin chuckled silently after putting her index finger to her lips, signaling Chaewon to lower her voice.

"Guess we can say we passed natural selection, then?" Wonyoung joined in to the conversation and snickered. Chaewon put a hand to her mouth to keep herself from laughing and nudged Wonyoung's shoulder. Yujin only nodded and smiled.

"But worry not, it's about to be Minju's turn."

Just as Yujin had said, two performances later Minju entered the stage. Her dress was white, long and simple. The white of her dress contrasted well against the yellow wall, deeply reminding Yujin of summer and sunflowers. Chaewon immediately leaned forward, as if to get a better view of Yujin's performance. Wonyoung did too. The two started gushing over how pretty Minju looked and started waving their hands around as if to catch her attention. Minju noticed the three and smiled. Wonyoung and Chaewon brought out their most sheepish smiles, glad their effort wasn't futile and they could reach Minju before she started her performance.

Then Minju closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering. She was scared, but her friends, new or not, being there for her made her feel more confident. She took a deep breath.

Then her right hand brought the bow to the violin, gently placing it on the strings. A pretty melody spilled out, immediately charming the audience and the judges.

Yujin's eyes glistened. Two small, yet shiny bubbles appeared next to Minju. Once they came into contact, the bubbles started dancing around Minju. It looked as if they were playfully dancing with each other, spinning around to the beat of the melody. Every few beats, a new bubble appeared and joined the others. They all spun and danced together with the melody. It was a sight so blissful and breath-taking, a sight that brought much joy. The girls next to Yujin seemed to notice them too, entranced by Minju's playing.

Then, Minju's playing suddenly changed. It was not due to fright. It seemed as if Minju had joined the game together with these shiny bubbles herself, dancing with her violin strings instead. 

"Is it really...the same piece?" Chaewon and Wonyoung immediately looked at Yujin and whispered.

Yujin, taken in by the performance before her eyes, slowly nodded. The void Yujin had been trying to fill for so long seemed to be filling itself up. The girl with brown locks knew it was temporary - but she knew it was exactly what she'd lacked. What she yearned to feel while performing herself. What she'd lost. And was not sure she'd gain it once more.

Soon after, Minju's performance ended. She lowered her violin, waiting for the audience's response. Yujin looked around - everyone's faces were shocked and full of amazement. But noone, except for Yujin, Chaewon and Wonyoung made the first move. Just as Yujin started clapping and the two other girls joined in, the audience erupted in cheers. 

Minju's uncertain face suddenly turned into a big, teethy smile. She bowed, and exited the stage full of many lingering emotions. Chaewon and Wonyoung looked at Yujin with big eyes.

"She'll pass, right? Right?"

Yujin lowered her head. While Minju's performance was the best of the bunch, it didn't go according to the music sheet. Which is exactly what these high-class contests ask for.

"I'm not sure, but I hope she will. Minju really did well, though. Let's hope for the best, okay?" Yujin said and managed to crack a little smile.

Wonyoung and Chaewon nodded and turned back to the stage to watch the remaining contestants' performances.

⋆

After everyone was done, the four girls met up at the entrance. Chaewon and Wonyoung pulled Minju to the tightest hug the two of them could muster. They attacked her with the sweetest words and compliments, petting Minju's locks with their gentle hands.

Minju let them be. She hugged them back as tightly and smiled due their adorable behaviour. As if breaking off their cute moment, a person sprinted by.

"The results are here! Everyone come check out if they passed!"

People started gushing in, running to see the results and find their name on the paper. Some were prepared to be disqualified, but the others were brimming with confidence, as if they knew they'd passed. Minju was one of the last ones to reach the notice board together with Chaewon, Wonyoung and Yujin. Yujin quickly skimmed the paper to find Minju's name on it. Just as she was about to give up, Yujin noticed the last part of the paper - "Audience Choice", and just below it, Minju's name stood lone. Yujin then slightly touched Minju's shoulder in acknowledgement.

"You made it."


	2. CHAPTER II

A few days had passed. They passed as quick as cherry blossoms caught by the wind. But life for Yujin was the same. Same monotone, black and white days, resembling the keys of a piano. Struggling to get past the boring lessons only to come home to a piano gathering dust.

Yujin was heading home when she saw a familiar figure looming near the school's entrance. It was no other than Kim Minju, a student of Yujin's school and the girl whose playing charmed the girl with brown locks.

She was about to pass by when Minju gasped when she recognised the other girl.

"Ah! It's you, Friend A!" Minju waved and smiled sheepishly. "How have you been?"

"I'm well." Yujin stopped in her tracks. She shyly looked at Minju and mustered a small smile. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"You're right." Minju nodded and leaned in towards Yujin. "I'm waiting for Chaewon, but it doesn't look like she's done with school yet as I don't see her anywhere. Do you perhaps know where she is?"

"Ah, Chaewon. I'm sure you know, but she's the captain of the school's soccer team. She can't afford to miss out on meet-ups and I'm more than sure there's one today." Yujin took a lock of her hair in her hand and played with it.

"Oh god, that's right." Minju said and lightly knocked on her head. "I forgot." She pouted. "But I wanted someone to accompany me to a café today. I can't afford to miss my usual shortcake day per week and was planning to ask Chaewon."

"Oh well, that's a downer." Yujin said and was about to walk away when the other girl grabbed her shoulder lightly.

"Would you like to go with me? I'll let you be Chaewon's substitute, Friend A, Yujin!" Minju exclaimed and pouted at the girl with brown locks. 

"Oh, well I don't know about that-" Yujin said, looking down at the ground. Although it wasn't meant to be mean, telling someone they're a substitute can hurt a person's feelings more than you think. Minju put a finger to Yujin's mouth.

"Let's go, okay? You'll have fun!"

And so Minju took Yujin's hand, showing her the way to Minju's favourite cute, hidden café in the middle of the city.

 

⋆

When the two arrived at the café, there was only one unoccupied table left. They quickly strutted to it and gently sat down on the chairs. Minju ordered three different shortcakes and a latte, while Yujin ordered a strawberry shortcake, a cake she always chose when eating at an unfamiliar place, café. Their orders arrived soon despite the buzzing of the full place.

The café was brimming with life. It was what Yujin would describe as a warm and welcoming place. The walls were the colour of coffee and the floor of wooden brown. There were many framed photos of heart-warming moments between the employees and their customers. Some photos were of nature and green, others of books and coffee, more than fitting for a café. The interior was decorated with little trees, flowers. But what caught Yujin's attention was the piano that stood lone in the middle of the café. Some kids were running around it, probably thinking whether to play the piano or not. It was endearing to watch and it made Yujin smile a little. Minju must have noticed that and slyly turned around to look at the place that was calling Yujin so.

"Wow, these cakes taste better everytime I try them! Are you sure strawberry shortcake will be enough for you, Yujin?" Minju said and shoved a piece of red velvet cake into her mouth.

"Yes, that I'm sure of. I'm not much of a foodie." The girl with brown locks answered and took a spoon with the shortcake into her mouth.

The two girls that were strutting near the piano mustered the courage to play it. Their melody was raw, a few mistakes here and there but it was nice to the ears.

Halfway to finishing her red velvet cake, Minju suddenly got an idea. She shot up from her seat and took Yujin's hand. The girl pulled Yujin to the piano and looked into her eyes.

"I've heard you play the piano. Why don't you join in? It will be fun!" Minju's eyes glistened with hope.

Yujin was about to decline until she took a look into Minju's eyes. She remembered the latter girl's performance at the violin contest a few days that Yujin was moved by. The girl with brown locks didn't want to let the other down, so she sighed deeply and looked at the two girls.

"Hello there, mind if I join in?" Yujin said and smiled a little to warm up to the two little girls and not scare them. "You're playing "Twinkle, twinkle little star", right?"

The two girls nodded and one leaped off the piano chair, making space for Yujin.

"Could you please play the left hand for me? I'll play the main melody." Yujin said and placed her hand on the keyboard.

The old wooden piano creaked with the first note but seemed to ease in with each passing note. At first Yujin was uncertain about playing. She was afraid of concentrating too much on the piece and losing her ability to hear the notes and falling deep into the ocean once again.

But when she began playing, she found herself having fun. The simple melody of "Twinkle, twinkle little star" had changed to the Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", charming the other people in the café. Yujin didn't even notice the buzzing of the café was gone, that everyone was listening to her playing intensely.

But soon Yujin's right hand started shaking, the pleasing melody started to sink deep into the ocean, throwing Yujin off her shoes. She quickly stopped playing and reached for her hand. The audience, girls and Minju curiously looked at Yujin.

"What's wrong, miss?" One of the girls asked. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm sorry, I can't do it." Yujin said and quickly looked around the place, took her school bag and stormed off the café.

She found herself at a park close by the café. A stray cat waddled its way to Yujin's looming figure and scratched its fluffy head onto her black tights. The girl with brown locks fell to her knees and started petting the small and frail cat, its fur the colour of coal.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything to feed you with. But I'd love some company now."

The cat purred in reply. It sat down right in front of Yujin, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Ahn Yujin. A young pianist prodigy. Was gone from the pianist scene for two years. There are some rumors you can't hear the piano anymore." A familiar voice said from behind Yujin. "Is that true?" Minju kneeled right next to Yujin and pet the black cat's head as well.

"So you knew about me." Yujin silently muttered to herself. "That rumor is not completely wrong. I feel like I'm sinking. Sinking to the bottom of a deep ocean. Void of all sound. I can feel myself hitting the notes with all I can, but all that comes forward is nothing but the sound of waves mixed in with the melody."

Minju nodded and continued petting the black cat that reminded her deeply of the night.

"All I wish is for me to hear the melody I play once more."

The two sat in the silence for some time. One wouldn't describe it as any kind of awkward - more a silence of comfort. Comfort without any sound, movement or exchanging words.

"Yujin, I have a request to ask of you." Minju broke the silence and looked straight into Yujin's eyes. "I want you to be my accompanist."

Yujin looked at Minju with bewildered eyes.

"What? Accompany you?" She asked, her body visibly shaking from something within her. "Didn't you hear what I said, I, I can't hear my playing anymore - it's impossible!"

"I'm sure you can do it. You're the Ahn Yujin after all." Minju assured, not looking away from the girl with brown locks at all. "Besides I have noone else to ask this of. My accompanist left me for I played too frantically. I got through the preliminaries and I don't want to stop at this point. I'm asking you from the bottom of my heart."

Yujin looked away. Her eyes locked themselves to the brown shoes she was wearing, pretending to admire them in her mind to rid it off every problem, question or worry that was trying to get to Yujin. She admired the other's playing and that's more than true, but she didn't want to put this kind of responsibility on herself especially because she's like that. 

It took a toll on Yujin to play and feel the ocean again. And again. And again. It had tired her out so, she was afraid to appear on stage once more. Just thinking about it made Yujin's head swarm with emotions much unlike anything she wanted to feel. She wanted to break free; to go somewhere far they couldn't reach her. But that's impossible. So she tried her best to occupy her mind with something else.

"So, what do you think?" Minju asked once again, breaking the silence. 

It wasn't a silence that Yujin thought was comforting, it seemed to nag her on every corner, heighten her emotions and push her to the edge. So disturbing.

She seemed to be unable to take it anymore for the day. The girl with brown locks quickly stood up, got her things and muttered a silent 'I'll think about it'. And so, Yujin was gone with the wind.

⋆

The next day, Yujin got up early to get ready for school. She didn't take much time: made herself some tea, heated up some dinner from the day before and filled her stomach. It has become an usual routine for her. One she was neither tired nor happy of. Just something she did to stop herself from being hungry at school.

Right. Just a routine.

But as soon as Yujin left her house, she was met with a familiar face. Minju was standing right outside her house, leaning onto the fence while waiting for Yujin to come out. The latter didn't know how to feel; her face changed emotions every few milliseconds from confused to bewildered to angry and finally neutral. The girl with brown locks opened the fence to make her way to school and was about to ignore the uninvited guest when Minju suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" She asked, her face as bright as the sun. Hard to look away, no lie there. Yujin sighed and gave in.

"Morning. But what are you doing here? I've never seen you around these parts."

"I was passing by. Let's just go to school together, I'm sure you don't mind?" Minju leaned forwards and pouted, trying her best to charm Yujin to agreeing. Yujin only sighed louder and lowered her head.

"This girl really gets what she wants, huh." She muttered silently.

"Hmm, did you say anything?" Minju said and grabbed the girl with brown locks by her hands. She started pulling the latter forward, making the road to school much more tiring than Yujin was prepared for.

When they were close to the train station, Minju suddenly asked Yujin a question, startling Yujin as she thought the other had felt defeated after many unsuccessful conversation attempts.

"So did you think about it?" She looked into the other's eyes. "I've decided on a piece already, too. Saint Saëns’ “Rondo Capriccioso”, I'm sure it will fit me well."

Yujin shook her head. It was a lie, and an obvious one at that as it was the only thing in her head the whole night before. But she was not ready for such a thing. And she was definetely not agreeing to it.

And so the road to school ended with no more unneccessary conversations.

 

⋆

Yujin was making her way to the music room, a place she always escaped to when she wanted to have some alone time, when the music played by the school's radio caught her attention. It was no other than Saint Saëns’ “Rondo Capriccioso”, a piece of classical music that usually never braced the walls of this school.

Yujin thought of this as very confusing and an interesting change - after all, classical music is fun. And a nice change of pace from the usual pop that is played during breaks.

Quickly making her way while walking in beat together with the music, she got to the music room in no time. Just as the girl with brown locks was about to open the room, she noticed papers sticking out of the door. It piqued her interest and she opened the door as swiftly and quickly as she could. There she was met with sheet music taped on every inch of the room; ceiling, floor, walls, everywhere! Absolutely no space to walk on.

"Who could've done this?" Yujin sighed and was about to exit the room when she saw the writing on one of the sheets - with beautiful black letters, “Rondo Capriccioso” stood lone and elegantly on the top middle of the paper.

But it didn't just end there - during math class, Yujin opened her notebook and was met with none other than the piano accompaniment for “Rondo Capriccioso” as well. Right after class, Yujin went to secretely check her phone only to be met with the sheet music changed to her wallpaper as well. The only one to know the password to her phone was none other than Wonyoung - and she was sure to get a hearing from Yujin soon.

This situation extremely overwhelmed Yujin and she was about to lose heart and just drop tired in the middle of the school hall.

"How long will this go on for..?"

⋆

It's been a week already. The school radio kept on playing the same song all over and over again. Yujin tried to clean up the sheet music plastered all over the music room only to be met with the same familiar papers again the next day. She didn't bother anymore after one try. 

Saint Saëns’ “Rondo Capriccioso” - the only song stuck in Yujin's head for so long. Although she had decided not to accompany Minju, she had practiced the piece after hearing it all day at school and seeing the sheets in every single corner.

It was hard to resist and harder not to think of when it was everywhere Yujin had looked at. So she stopped resisting and just gave in. Her fingers were moving by itself, playing the notes for the piece in class unconsciously, the melody replaying itself like a broken cassette.

Soon, the class came to an end and Yujin decided to skip her usual trip to the music room and go eat silently on the roof of the school instead. And it worked - the melody of “Rondo Capriccioso” haunted her no more, no piano sheets in sight; Yujin truly could take a break. 

Or so it seemed. Just as Yujin was about to take a big bite out of her delicious sandwich, Minju came running to the school's roof. She opened the door frantically, quickly scanning the area for the girl with brown locks. Just as she was about to leave, she saw the other and her face brightened up.

"There you are!"


	3. CHAPTER III

Yujin choked on her sandwich. The little bite teared away at the girl's throat making tears well up on her big brown eyes. Minju frantically ran to Yujin, worried about the other.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked and hardly patted on Yujin's back in hopes for that to help.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yujin said and took a deep breath. "Don't worry about me. What are you doing here, though? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the concert?"

Just as Yujin said that, Minju's eyes welled up with frustration, anger and sadness. She was reminded of the reason she rushed up to the school's roof. The words and sentences she thought of to say mingled together, becoming one big mess. Even after so much time repeating it all over again, it was all for nothing. The words stopped in her throat and showed no signs of coming out. Minju lowered her head.

"You're right. But I'm here." Minju looked straight at Yujin and tried to calm herself. "I came to pick you up but I couldn't find you anywhere. Hurry, let's go!"

"But I've been telling you I can't, that I'm not going to accompany you. Not only can I stop hearing myself mid-way, there are people who train and specialize in that. There's no way I could do it. All I'd do is ruin it, not only for you but me too. I...can't play the piano."

Minju took in a deep breath. She furrowed her brows and stared right into Yujin's soul as if trying to reach out to it by force.

"And what about it? Yujin, it's not that you can't play. You just won't play. "I can't hear the sounds of my playing". You're just using that as an excuse. A terrible excuse to run away."

Yujin's eyes flickered with hurt. She cast them down to the ground and meekly grabbed the hem of her skirt.

It seemed as if she was taken back to the times she started drowning in the dark sea once more. There was nothing around her but looming lone darkness. It was dark. Yujin reached out. She pleaded to be gone out of this suffocating cage, out of this miserable sea she had been trapped in.

"I...I am afraid," Yujin's eyes welled with tears. She grabbed the hem of her skirt tighter and slouched forward as if shielding herself from the unexpected rush of emotions.

'Tell me, weren't you relieved when you learned you could no longer hear?' Deep inside the sea, a voice called out to Yujin. It said words she didn't want to hear, stuff she didn't want to admit. Yet no matter how badly she tried to mute them out, the words kept echoing inside her head. 'Such an excuse... An excuse to run away. An excuse... not to perform again.' Yujin shook her head. Memories of this moment she tried to painstakingly forget started rushing in and taking over her. 

'Help me, please...' the Yujin in her memories pleaded, crouching on the seat of a black, looming piano.

It was pressuring to be called a piano genius. People expected the most of Yujin. They weren't content with just "good" and were ready to smash her title to pieces, looking for any small mistakes to expose her of. So she made sure to do her most. To be the best and most precise while playing. And so, people gave her the name Human Metronome. The one that plays precisely how it's written, with a lack of emotions but exactly how the composer wanted it to sound.

'Why's she not playing?' 'I don't think this has happened before.' 'Whoa, did Ahn Yujin finally break?' 'That's the end for the Human Metronome for sure.' 'She must have cracked under pressure.' Such things echoed inside of Yujin's head, reminding her of her last performance. The girl's with brown locks hands started shaking. She couldn't control it anymore.

"Am I going to be all alone again? Alone at the dark sea..?" Yujin whispered to noone but herself. Little tear droplets fell onto Yujin's lap. She didn't even notice she started crying.

Then, Yujin felt a warm hand on her cheek. The gentle touch reminded her of something she longed for as long as she remembers - the touch of her mother.

"But you have me." Yujin's eyes widened and she turned to look at the girl near her. The other was smiling widely, yet her face was visibly pained from seeing such a hurt expression on her friend's face. "I'm aware that you can't hear the sound of your playing. And that you haven't been practicing. But," Minju put her index finger on Yujin's cheek. "But it's you that I want. I want you to play for me. I admit, we may not be able to play the piece at our best, but let's do it. Let's challenge the world. I'll be content as long as we can play it. And there will be an audience that will listen to us. An audience that will be there and wait until we finish, no matter if it goes downhill or not. I will give this performance my all. So that the people listening to my music will not forget me, so that I will be able to live on in her hearts forever. I'm a musician after all."

Yujin's eyes long stopped welling up. But after hearing Minju, they started glistening with tears once more.

"So please. I'm asking you from the bottom of my heart. I may be selfish now, but I hope you'll accompany me." Minju cracked a small smile then lowered her head gently. 

Yujin's emotions mingled together. Just as she was about to reply, she noticed the little droplets falling onto the hollow floor of the roof. Yujin averted her eyes to the ground. She took a deep breath.

"Alright. I'll do it. I'll be your accompanist."

Minju's eyes glistened with hope once more.

"Really? I-, you're not going to say no just before we go, right?" 

She started stuttering and looking around as if she couldn't believe it. She was acting much different than how composed and serious she was before. Right as she was about to give up, Yujin's words had blown her off her feet.

"That's right, I'm not lying here. I've made up my mind." Yujin said and smiled slightly to ease the other.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go, we might barely make it until the end of admissions!" Minju extended her hand and gave Yujin the most sheepish smile she has ever seen from the girl. "Do you think running would be fine?"

Yujin chuckled slightly at that and took Minju's hand. They were about to leave the roof when Chaewon and Wonyoung came stumbling in.

"There you two are! We've been looking for what feels like ages." Wonyoung exclaimed and fell to her knees from exhaustion. Then she suddenly got a big burst of energy and stood up, a firm and fired up expression on her gentle face. "Have you agreed to accompany her, Yujin?"

Yujin nodded. After being moved by Minju's words and feelings, she was firm on her decision. It may have been rash and spontaneous, but the look on the girl's face was worth it. It was worth seeing a thousand stars lit up in her deep brown eyes and her face light up like a star on a dark night.

Wonyoung's eyes softened. Her cheeks suddenly became fuller and she smiled as gently as the feeling of snow on a cold winter day. Chaewon exhaled and smiled as widely as she could and hugged the others, her warmth making Yujin melt from such sweetness. 

Yujin's heart thumped. Such a rash, spontaneous decision indeed. But it was this decision that made her friends look happy. Even after they had drifted apart, they were together now. Together with Yujin.

"Come," Wonyoung suddenly said and broke the hug. "If we don't hurry, we'll miss the admissions. Chaewon and I will take you on our bikes."

Yujin giggled and looked at Minju. Her cheeks flared with persistend redness and she wasn't afraid to show it anymore. After all, this means she's happy. And a little embarrassed.

'Ah, I truly won't regret this decision, will I?' She muttered to noone but herself and followed after the others.

⋆

They arrived on time. Minju had more than enough time to submit her participation and get ready. The audience wasn't allowed in the rooms Minju and Yujin were getting ready at, so Chaewon and Wonyoung left to get the bests seats in the hall. After they both dressed up, Minju was strutting around the room, hopping from one spot to another and humming the melody she were to play that day. Yujin thought it was her way of calming down so she paid no mind to that and focused on the sheets before her.

It was the first time she wasn't ready for a performance. She would always practice hundreds and hundreds of times before going on stage and playing it brilliantly but this time she's barely even played it at all. It was all getting to her. Her hands which played on top of the notes by themselves started shaking with horror and fear and the girl with brown locks was about to succumb to it all. The shaking got really frantic and the melody of "Rondo Capriccisio" kept repeating the same parts in midst of her messy mind like a broken cassette. It was hard to admit, but Yujin was scared.

Minju glanced at the other. What she saw was not what she'd expected at all. Yujin was a bundle of nerves, her hands frantically shaking while trying to play on a piano that was not there and her eyes didn't leave the piano sheet off sight. It struck a cord in her heart and she quickly strutted towards Yujin and plopped on the ground. The girl with red locks took Yujin's hands in hers and smacked them. The latter looked up at Minju in confusion. 

"Yujin. It must be hard for you now." Minju looked straight into the other's eyes. "But please breathe. Take a deep breath and exhale the one you're holding in."

The girl with brown locks exhales the breathe she didn't even notice she was holding in. The tensed muscles relaxed bit by bit and she looked back to Minju.

"You must be worried about how you're going to play it, right? But I'm sure. I am one hundred percent sure it will be fine. I know you can do it. Even if it's not a performance we can live with, we will play together. And that's all that matters." Minju said and cracked a small smile. "I'm sure you remember the music that adorned the walls of our school, the one that played on and on during our breaks and that noone got a break off during the whole week, right? And the sheets that were continuously plastered on the walls of your home, music room and books. They're all here," Minju gently touched the side of Yujin's head. "inside of your head. Trust me, you'll do well. And if all comes to worst, then it's something to ponder about after we finish." 

"Thank you, I really needed that." Yujin said and lowered her eyes, all of her attention shifting to the floor.

"Oh!" Minju said as she remembered something. "There's this thing I always do right before I perform. I quietly say "Elohim Essaim, Elohim Essaim. I implore you." and it helps me calm down almost immediately. Why don't you try it?"

"What does that even mean?" Yujin cracked a small smile and chuckled. "But I will do that. Thank you."

Their gentle conversation was broken off when a staff walked into the room. He bowed slightly at the two and opened his mouth.

"Number 4, please get ready to go on stage."

Minju nodded at the staff and took Yujin's hand in hers. Her white heels clicked against the floor, drowning out other sounds around the two. Time seemed to pass so excruciatingly slowly. Yujin thought they would never reach the hall.

And yet they did. At first, Yujin didn't even notice they were to stand by and wait for the current number to finish. She stared at her ridiculously inappropriate shoes, her mind wandering from one page to another, trying to play the melody in her head as practice.

The sound of applause deafened Yujin. All of a sudden, everything around her was drowned out. They were to go on stage, but she could not move a finger. The girl with brown locks froze in her place.

It was only when Minju tightened the grip on her frozen hand that she regained conscious of her surroundings.

"Hey, Yujin. Let's go." A skimmish smile appeared on Minju's face as if to urge the other. "Remember, everything will be fine. Don't beat yourself over something that has not even had the chance to happen yet."

Just as the two were to enter the stage, Minju stopped holding the other's hand. She gripped her violin tightly and made the first step, glancing back to make sure Yujin was following her.

And so, they entered the hall. The lights were turned towards the stage, blinding the two girls at first. The stage shined with brilliance. If Yujin were to describe it one word, it would've been breathtaking.

Quickly, yet elegantly making her way towards the piano seat, Yujin glanced at Minju as if reassuring herself that everything were to be fine. She swiftly plopped down. Her hand shook with uneasiness.

It was then when the girl with brown locks remembered what the other had told her before; the little chant she always did before performing and Yujin thought 'to hell with it. It won't hurt to try.'

"Elohim Essaim, Elohim Essaim. I implore you." Yujin whispered and looked at Minju as if signalling she was ready to start. Minju noticed the other's signal and nodded. And with that, the swift melody filled the noiseless hall of concerts, a capricious melody seeping in through the ears of their listeners.

It all started off well. Yujin was doing quite well as Minju's accompanist, letting her shine and only being dominant in parts the other didn't play. 

Needless to say, it was amusing. Not only for the performers themselves but the audience, too. After all, it was Ahn Yujin who was accompanying. A piano prodigy who was leading the performance stage not too long ago. And she was accompanying? When she was a solo player?

But as they were approaching the middle part, Yujin took over the music. She started hammering the piano as if yearning for more. As if she truly had lost her sense of hearing.

Minju eyed Yujin. The piece had gone off the rails. The once capricious melody changed to agressive. It was hard enough to keep up with Yujin's hammering and the girl prayed it would work out.

Little by little, small whispers filled the hall. You could make out small "see, I told you Yujin's not fit for it. She used to play by herself, after all." and "whoa, and it started so promising...". The once charmed audience broke out of their spell.

Yujin didn't hear any of it. Neither the playing nor the unusual noisiness of the listeners. All she saw around her was the blue of a deep, dark ocean. She kept pressing the notes with all she could, with all of her strength but nothing came out of it. The girl with brown locks kept remembering the face of her mother, the look of disgust she had on her face while she kept saying "What a disgrace." Yujin's eyes started watering. She had messed it all up again. The sound, the colours, the feeling of joy and melancholy when she was playing...it was all gone.

Yujin suddenly started slowing down the piece. Her slender fingers that weighed down the notes were numb and seemed to gain a mind of its own, not listening to Yujin anymore. Yujin looked up, slowing down the piece. She inhaled, and with that her hands fell from the black and white of the piano.

The noisiness of the hall suddenly stopped. This was a rare sight, an accompanist stopping the piece, leaving the violinist on their own. It was unacceptable and they were sure to get eliminated. Yujin knew that. She knew it, but it was nothing she could do. She deemed herself powerless. Powerless and useless.

Minju stopped playing too. Her slender figure loomed in front of Yujin. She was visibly exhausted. But her eyes sparked with determination. She lowered her violin and looked straight into Yujin.

"Again."


End file.
